Home of Winnipeg air force sergeant ransacked over Christmas holidays

Sergeant Edward Marshall’s mother-in-law just died. And then he came home to a ransacked house, his treasured military medals and his vehicle among the many items missing.

The Wing 17 air force sergeant had been away from his quiet Winnipeg community since December 17, when he and his teenage children boarded a plane to Halifax where his wife Cynthia had been since Halloween, when his mother-in-law had a stroke. She had been caring for her mother until her December death, and after the funeral, the family stayed to work out details of the estate.

On Christmas Day, Sgt. Marshall heard from his brother, who crossed the city once every two days to check in on the family cat.

“Are you sitting down?” his brother asked, before sharing the news of the break-in, which likely happened Dec. 23 or Christmas Eve, Sgt. Marshall said.

The front door, made of solid wood, had been kicked in. The sergeant’s Jeep Cherokee was gone from the garage, and so was the stereo from his wife’s car. The thieves left no stone unturned as they swept through the house, stealing all of his wife’s jewelry, including a white gold bracelet from her mother, and a treasured camera bestowed by her deceased father. They took his 16-year-old son’s Xbox and games, his daughter’s laptop. They made off with 36 bottles of wine from the kitchen and a 126 piece flatware set Sgt. Marshall bought in Dubai during a 2004 tour of duty in Southwest Asia.

They also took Sgt. Marshall’s military uniforms, with his security pass card for the base tucked into a pocket (the pass was deactivated as soon as the base was informed). His medals were gone, too, including one he was given by the European Union for humanitarian work he’d done in Uganda.

“Those medals are really of no use to anybody,” he said. “Some even have my name engraved on the side. I’m hoping somebody’s stupid enough to sell it to a pawn shop.”

The thieves even ripped the curtains off the walls, he said, presumably to use as wrapping for their winnings.

Police have been by the house to take photos and fingerprints, the sergeant said, but there are no leads as of yet. His next-door neighbour’s home was broken into last year before Christmas, which leads Sgt. Marshall to think the same thieves could have planned to visit his place next.

He just hopes anyone with information would contact police.

“It’s terrible. My kids have just been devastated for Christmas,” he said. “It’s been a hard time for everybody.”